Last week, I had a great chat with Molly Millett from the St. Paul Pioneer Press about the growth and diversity of Christian fiction. Her article appeared in the Sunday paper, and you can read it at

http://www.twincities.com/mld/twincities/living/13777287.htm

There’s a brief description of THE SECRET LIFE OF BECKY MILLER, and a great quote from my editor, Charlene Patterson. Molly interviewed Carol Johnson (V.P. at Bethany House Publishing) and other Christian authors—particularly those writing chick-lit or mom-lit.

There is also a sidebar of recommended books, including BECKY MILLER, that you can view at

http://www.twincities.com/mld/pioneerpress/13805769.htm

Molly included this quote of mine from our interview: “So many women I know attend church and pray; faith is a normal, integral part of their lives. But in general fiction, it is often ignored or washed out of the story.”

I believe that within all good stories, there is an element of a faith journey. A character grows, changes, confronts challenges, and evaluates what really matters. In my books, I’m open with the ways that the God of the Bible intersects my characters’ lives. My hope is that this aspect of the story will not be didactic and preachy, but will convey the truthful struggles many of us face.

Want to hear more from the variety of Christians writing “lit”? Visit the Faithchicks Blog at

http://www.faithchick.com/

I post there on the first Tuesday of each month. But I enjoy reading the other posts even more. Be sure to look through the archives. Great thoughts from great ladies of faith.

I want to be humble. Self-effacing. Casual about the fact that I have a novel coming out in June.

Instead, I find ways to work it into every conversation.

“That’ll be $7.65 for the chips and pop, Ma’am.”

“Here you go. And speaking of snacks, I need to snack a lot because I’m working on a new novel. I have a book coming out. . . “

Not only that, I’ve begun to obsessively check my standing on amazon.com. As soon as the book was posted I delighted in googling the title over and over.

Then I discovered the scary fact that I could see my book’s ranking among all the books on amazon.com.

Mind you, the book is not available. It comes out in June, 2006. So there are no sales yet.

But I can’t help it. I keep checking in on my ranking. I’ve crashed below one million other books by now.

You’d think the fact that there ARE a million other books listed on amazon would be enough to humble me. Instead I dream of when the book releases and people order it on amazon and I rocket up to 700,000 from the top.

Is there a “Top 700,000 List” for book sales?

Sometimes I just have to laugh at myself.

But self-absorption is no laughing matter. Self-importance is an ugly sin. It’s my twisted tool to convince myself I’m valuable. . . instead of taking my value from the true place–from being a dearly loved child of God.

Lord, change my heart. Let me be absorbed in Your beauty and majesty and forget myself. Let me have Your love for others that values them above myself. Let me have the confidence that comes from knowing that I belong to You, so I don’t have to measure my worth by my “To Do” list. Oh, and Lord . . . have I mentioned I have a book coming out? . . .

Last night I heard author Noel Piper speak. I’m reading her latest book, FAITHFUL WOMEN AND THEIR EXTRAORDINARY GOD, a collection of biographies.

One of Mrs. Piper’s comments was a special blessing to me. She said that people are able to see truths in the lives of other people much more readily than they can see it in themselves. She has found that while reading biographies, she notices things about choices, motives, character, mistakes–and after seeing these in the life of the book’s subject, is able to recognize similar issues in her own life.

I realized that is the same reason I love fiction. While I watch a character miss the boat, cause unneccessary pain, suffer from unwise choices, my defenses lower and I’m willing to acknowledge similar problems in my own life. When the character makes a tough decision in the right direction, dares to change, confronts a problem, my heart swells with belief that our choices can make a difference and the daily battles of life are worth the fight.

Some days when I trudge to my computer screen for yet another round of revisions I wonder about the value of my work.
All this word-wrestling. Is there a reason for it? Will it matter to anyone?

Then I remember how other author’s stories have brought truth and insight to my life, and I’m excited by the challenge of writing with enough skill to let the reader experience something new, yet recognize the familiar.

Last week, I began composing a list of the good things about being a writer. Since I tend to get cranky and melancholy, I figured I needed a reminder of what I should be grateful for.

1. I can work in my pajamas
2. I can take a notebook and pen for a hike in the woods and work in beautiful settings
3. I sometimes get free books to review or endorse
4. I’ve met the best, most amazing people
5. I get to practice waiting.

Okay, that last one wasn’t on my list. Being a writer involves a tortuous amount of waiting. Nail-biting while waiting for an agent’s opinion on my latest idea. Pacing while hoping for news from my editor on whether my manuscript has potential. Checking emails obsessively to see what my critique partners thought of a recent chapter.

Last week, I read a chapter in Marlene Bagnull’s wonderful book, Write His Answer. She wrote about waiting expectantly, productively, and patiently.

My vivid imagination jumps to worst-case scenarios when I’m waiting. “The publisher will finally catch on that I don’t know what I’m doing and reject my new proposal. The editors are sitting around laughing at my clumsy prose.”

So, in an effort to wait expectantly, I worked on expecting God’s good surprises . . . whatever shape they might take. Once when the phone rang, I even thought, “That could be my agent calling with a contract offer.” Amazing how much more fun my writing became when I shushed the negative assumptions.

Waiting productively isn’t difficult for me. As a recovering workaholic, I comfort my anxiety by working. So I kept writing during my weeks of waiting for news on a new project. And I also asked God to make the time productive in other ways. Strengthening relationships, caring for physical health, studying and improving my skills.

Patiently? Well, that’s another story. I’m the kind of person who is so desperate to see what’s around the next corner I barely notice the street I’m on at the moment. But God was providing me a chance to practice. To remind myself that His timing is spot on. To acknowledge that most of life happens BETWEEN desired events, so I better embrace the between times.

One of the joys of being a writer really IS the experience of waiting. Writing chapter after chapter with uncertainty about whether it will be published. Revising manuscripts that might never be read. Trusting that God has called me to this path. Every day is raw and frightening and blazing with potential. And that propels me straight into God’s arms.

And that’s another one of the joys of writing.

Oh, and yesterday the phone rang, and it was my agent with good news. And I was grateful I’d had to wait for it.

Today I have a writer moment to share. I’ve told many friends that birthing a book is similar to birthing a baby. Pregnancy can feel very long and sometimes uncomfortable. You desperately want to hold the baby, but sometimes fear that day will never arrive. There are preparations to make–painting the nursery, buying diapers. And because you want to be an exceptional parent, you study many books on how to excel at this role. Midwives are there to guide you through the experiences of each month of the pregnancy. Still, it can be hard to imagine holding that longed-for child in your arms as day after day passes.

Today, I saw the ultrasound of my book-baby. The cover art.

Like hearing a heartbeat, and seeing a tiny figure swimming in a hidden place, the life of this book-baby is vibrantly real in a new way.

Can a book “quicken” like that moment you first feel the flutter of your child? If so, The Secret Life of Becky Miller quickened for me today.

I LOVE the cover that the artist designed. It conveys so many aspects of the novel. I feel incredibly blessed by this ultrasound moment–this glimpse of what the baby will look like.

We’ll be posting the cover art on my website soon, so check it out. I’m an unabashed proud mom, waving her sonogram around for all to see. And if I’m this delirious now, just wait until the day of the birth!

I pray your heart with quicken today with whatever God is birthing in your life!